Think about this: Christ loved us so much that he gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering to God.1 He made the ultimate sacrifice for you on the cross, loving you to death and beyond. Even as time marches on, His love stays constant.
It's so important for you to grasp that the biggest sacrifice has already been made. But now, you get to be a pleasing offering to God, too. Let your service, your honor, and your giving be a delight to your Heavenly Father. Know that Jesus has given you everything, and anything you offer pales in comparison to His love.
Giving to God, supporting His work, it's an expression of love. Don't see it as a burden or an obligation, but as a response to God's love and Jesus' sacrifice. It's a way of saying "thank you" for everything Heaven has poured into your life.
1Ephesians 5:2
and, Their sins and their lawlessness I will, no, not further remember.Now where there is remission of these, there is no more offering for sin.
Jesus spoke these sayings in the treasury as he taught in the temple, and no man seized him, because his hour had not yet come.
Bring ye the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house, and prove me now with this, says LORD of hosts, if I will not open to you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be
And Jesus says to him, See thou speak to no man, but go, show thyself to the priest, and bring the gift that Moses commanded for a testimony to them.
And walk in love, as also the Christ loved us, and delivered himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a fragrant aroma.
His lord said to him, Well, good and faithful bondman. Thou were faithful over a few things, I will appoint thee over many things. Enter thou into the joy of thy lord.And the man who received the one talent also having come, said, Lord, I knew thee that thou are a hard man, reaping where thou did not sow, and gathering from where thou did not scatter.
Each man as he purposes in his heart, not from regret or from necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver.
And having sat down opposite the treasury, Jesus watched how the multitude cast money into the treasury, and many rich men cast in much.And one poor widow having come, she cast in two mites, which are a quadrans.And having summoned his disciples, he says to them, Truly I say to you, that this poor widow cast in more than all those who are casting into the treasury.For they all cast in from that which is abundant to them, but she from her need cast in all, as many things she had, her whole living.
Honor LORD with thy substance, and with the first-fruits of all thine increase,so thy barns shall be filled with plenty, and thy vats shall overflow with new wine.
And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is LORD's; it is holy to LORD.
But I will sacrifice to thee with the voice of thanksgiving. I will pay that which I have vowed. Salvation is of LORD.
who gave himself for us, so that he might redeem us from all lawlessness, and purify to himself a special people, a zealot of good works.
He who did not even spare his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how will he not also give us all things with him?
Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of LORD thy God which he has given thee.
Give, and it will be given to you, good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, they will give into your bosom. For with the same measure with which ye measure, it will be measured again to you.
For if the willingness is present, it is acceptable to the extent if some man has, not to the extent he does not have.
Take ye from among you an offering to LORD. Whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it--LORD's offering: gold, and silver, and brass,
But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? For all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee.
I beseech you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, your reasonable service.
But do not forget benevolence and fellowship, for God is well pleased with such sacrifices.
Thou shall surely tithe all the increase of thy seed; that which comes forth from the field year by year.And thou shall eat before LORD thy God, in the place which he shall choose to cause his name to dwell there, the tithe of thy grain, of thy new wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herd and of thy flock, that thou may
Upon the first day of the week let each of you set something aside near himself, storing up whatever he may prosper, so that when I come no collections may be made then.
And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth.And blessed be God Most High, who has delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And [Abram] gave him a tenth of all.
It is well with the man who deals graciously and lends. He shall maintain his cause in judgment,
There is he who scatters, and increases yet more, and there he is who withholds more than is proper, but only to want.The generous soul shall be made prosperous, and he who waters shall also be watered himself.
Woe to you, scholars and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because ye tithe the mint and the anise and the cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law--justice and mercy and faith. These things must be done, and not neglecting t
And having looked up, he saw the rich casting their gifts into the treasury.And he also saw a certain poor widow there casting in two mites.And he said, Truly I say to you, that this poor widow cast in more than they all.For all these cast into the offerings of God from their abundance, but this woman from her poverty cast in all the living that she had.
And they brought in the oblations and the tithes and the dedicated things faithfully. And Conaniah the Levite was ruler over them, and Shimei his brother was second.
I gave you a glimpse of all things, that so laboring ye ought to aid the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that he himself said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.
But I receive all things, and I abound. I have been filled, having received from Epaphroditus the things from you, an aroma of fragrance, an acceptable sacrifice well-pleasing to God.
And whoever may give to drink one of these little ones merely a cold cup in the name of a disciple, truly I say to you he will, no, not lose his reward.
Is not this the fast that I have chosen: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?Is it not to deal thy bread to a hungry man, and that thou bring the poor who are cast out to thy house, when thou see a naked man, that thou cover him, and that thou not hide thyself from thine own flesh?
Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thy hand to do it.Do not say to thy neighbor, Go, and come again, and tomorrow I will give, when thou have it by thee.
Command the rich in the present age not to be arrogant, nor hope in the uncertainty of wealth, but in the living God, who supplies us all things abundantly for enjoyment,to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous, willing to share,storing up for themselves a good foundation for that which is coming, so that they may take hold of the eternal life.
Speak to the sons of Israel, that they take for me an offering; of every man whose heart makes him willing ye shall take my offering.
And it shall be, when thou have come in to the land which LORD thy God gives thee for an inheritance, and possess it, and dwell in it,that thou shall take of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which thou shall bring in from thy land that LORD thy God gives thee, and thou shall put it in a basket, and shall go to the place which LORD thy God shall choose to
For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of God Most High, having met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, also blessed him.To whom also Abraham divided a tenth of all. Being actually translated, first, king of righteousness, and then also, king of Salem, which is king of peace,
There is he who covets greedily all the day long, but the righteous gives and does not withhold.
Whatever LORD pleased, that he has done, in heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deeps,who causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth, who makes lightnings for the rain, who brings forth the wind out of his treasuries,
Thus your light should shine before men, so that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father in the heavens.
And God is able to abound all grace for you, so that always in everything having all sufficiency, ye may abound for every good work,
But thou shall remember LORD thy God, for it is he who gives thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he swore to thy fathers, as at this day.
I know also, my God, that thou try the heart, and have pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of my heart I have willingly offered all these things. And now I have seen with joy thy people, who are present here, off
The wicked man borrows, and pays not again, but the righteous man deals graciously, and gives.
Sell things possessed by you, and give charity. Make for yourselves purses not becoming old, a treasure unfailing in the heavens, where no thief approaches, nor moth corrupts.For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
When therefore thou do charity, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may have glory by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward.But when thou do charity, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand does,so that thy charity may be in secret. And thy Father who sees in secret will himself reward thee in the open.
then this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God's house. And of all that thou shall give me I will surely give the tenth to thee.
For Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a certain participation for the poor of the sanctified at Jerusalem.
And Moses gave commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, Let neither man nor woman make any more work for the offering of the sanctuary. So the people were restrained from bringing.For the stuff they had was sufficient for all the work to make it, and too much.
With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to thee. I will give thanks to thy name, O LORD, for it is good.
Know ye not that those being employed at the sacred things eat from the temple, and those who serve at the altar are partakers at the altar?And so the Lord commanded those who proclaim the good-news to live from the good-news.
Jesus said to him, If thou want to be perfect, go, sell the things being possessed by thee, and give to the poor, and thou will have treasure in heaven. And come, follow me.
And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought an offering to LORD of the fruit of the ground.And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat of it. And LORD had respect to Abel and to his offering,but he did not have respect to Cain and to his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.
Ascribe to LORD, ye kindred of the peoples. Ascribe to LORD glory and strength.Ascribe to LORD the glory due to his name. Bring an offering, and come into his courts.
He who goes forth and weeps, bearing seed for sowing, shall doubtless come again with joy, bringing his sheaves.
Through him therefore, let us offer up a sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, fruit of lips acknowledging his name.
The first of the first-fruits of thy ground thou shall bring to the house of LORD thy God. Thou shall not boil a kid in its mother's milk.
Let the elders who rule well be regarded worthy of double compensation, especially those who labor in the word and in teaching.For the scripture says thou shall not muzzle an ox that is threshing. And the workman is worthy of his wage.
Remove far from me falsehood and lies. Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me,lest I be full, and deny [thee], and say, Who is LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and use the name of my God profanely.
And having answered, the King will say to them, Truly I say to you, inasmuch as ye did it to one of these my brothers, the least, ye did it to me.
And let us not be weary doing good, for in our own time we will reap, not desponding.So then as we have time, let us work what is good toward all men, and especially toward those belonging to a household of the faith.
And ye Philippians also have seen that, in the beginning of the good-news when I departed from Macedonia, not one congregation shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving except ye only,because also in Thessalonica ye sent both once and again to my need.
LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.He makes me to lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.
He who gives to the poor shall not lack, but he who hides his eyes shall have many a curse.
Moreover also, because I have set my affection on the house of my God, seeing that I have a treasure of my own of gold and silver, I give it to the house of my God over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house,
and if thou draw out thy soul to a hungry man, and satisfy an afflicted soul, then thy light shall rise in darkness, and thine obscurity be as the noonday.
Blessed is he who considers a poor man. LORD will deliver him in the day of evil.LORD will preserve him, and keep him alive, and he shall be blessed upon the earth. And thou do not deliver him to the will of his enemies.
Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where moth and rust deteriorates, and where thieves break through and steal,but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust deteriorates, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Thou shall surely give him, and thy heart shall not be grieved when thou give to him, because for this thing LORD thy God will bless thee in all thy work, and in all that thou put thy hand to.
He has scattered, he has given to the poor. His righteousness endures forever. His horn shall be exalted with honor.
And, brothers, we declare to you the grace of God that has been given in the congregations of Macedonia,that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy, even from the depth of their poverty, abounded for the wealth of their generosity,so that according to their ability, I testify, and beyond their ability, willingly,with much exhortation, begging of us the favor, even the fellowship of service for the sanctified.And it was not as we expected, but first they gave themselves to the Lord and to us through the will of God,
And blessed be God Most High, who has delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And [Abram] gave him a tenth of all.
Then the people rejoiced, because they offered willingly, because with a perfect heart they offered willingly to LORD. And David the king also rejoiced with great joy.
or he who exhorts, in the exhortation; he who gives, in simplicity; he who leads, in diligence; he who does mercy, in cheerfulness.
Give to him who asks thee, and turn thou not away from him who wants to borrow from thee.
who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. LORD releases the prisoners.
And when I arrive, whomever ye may approve by letters, I will send these men to bring your gift to Jerusalem.And if it is fitting for me to go also, they will go with me.
being enriched in everything for every generosity, which works gratitude to God through us.
And the work of righteousness shall be peace, and the effect of righteousness, quietness and confidence forever.
If ye therefore, being evil, know to give good gifts to your children, how much more your Father in the heavens will give good things to those who ask him?
(Cast thy burden upon LORD, and he will sustain thee. He will never allow the righteous man to be moved.)
He raises up a poor man out of the dust, and lifts up a needy man from the dunghill,that he may set him with rulers, even with the rulers of his people.
And notice how great this man was, to whom also the patriarch Abraham gave a tenth out of the best spoils.